If you are aiming to row beyond a purely social level and start competing in races, then structured fitness training is vital. Achieving results with fitness training is about pushing your physical limits without going TOO hard to the point where you end up burning your body out. Creating/finding a structured program is a good way to motivate yourself, as well as ensuring that you push past the mental barriers of being sore from previous sessions. Achieving serious fitness will often require you to get up and go to training when it is the last thing in the world that you want to do, because you are already sore from the last few days of workout! however, coaches aim to create programs that will push your limits and get results without over-training you, using methods such as cross-training.
Rowing requires a unique type of fitness - it is often described as needing the power output of a sprinter, but the aerobic fitness of an endurance athlete. This is because rowing races are generally held over 1 or 2km, which translates to races of approximately 4-8mins of high intensity output. This requires rowers to increase both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, which are targeted by different training workouts. Aerobic fitness is targeted by long, steady workouts, such as:
15-20 minute pieces rating at 14-16 strokes per minute, followed by 5-10min break (repeated 3 or 4 times in a session) - can be conducted on water or ergos
Jogging at a steady rate for approximately 1 hour
Long-distance cycling
Anaerobic fitness is characterised by short bursts of high intensity workout interspersed by breaks, for example:
90 sec pieces rating 30 strokes per minute, interspersed with 30sec breaks of light rowing (repeated 6 times per block, with 3 blocks per session) - can be conducted on water or ergos - don't forget to do a lengthy cool-down to flush out the lactic acid from your muscles!
Shuttle runs
Hill sprints/stair climbing laps
Arthur Lydiard is a world-renowned running coach and gave a very famous lecture about training for aerobic fitness, much of which can be applied to rowing training. Check out the whole lecture here - it is very informative.
Workouts/Programs
Please contribute any programs of your own in this section, or links to fitness programs hosted elsewhere.
Geoff's Novice Training Schedule
The following is a potential weekly schedule for a novice rower after they have commenced rowing and gained some base fitness. (This is a weekly training schedule and does not contain details for the actual workouts in each session)
(Program created by Geoff Abbott for the 2009 UWABC Novice Women Squad)
Monday
AM – Water session - 2hrs
PM – Optional ergo session Tuesday
AM – Off
PM – Water session, small boats - 2hrs Wednesday
AM – Off
PM – Main ergo session Thursday
AM – Water session - 2hrs
PM – Running session - 1hr Friday
Off Saturday
Own aerobic session. Brush off your hangovers and get moving. Aim for 1 hour of steady exercise or longer. Talk to your fellow squad members, you can team up with them to make it more interesting. Suggestions include:
Swimming – good for loosening up sore muscles from rowing, especially your back/shoulders/legs. (Freestyle/ breast-stroke, decent distances, not just a paddle in your backyard pool…)
Bike riding – do a lap of the river, ride to the beach and back, or ride your bike somewhere instead of taking your car. Or even go mountain biking in the hills!
Ergos – you can never do too many!
Running – Try for about 5-8km (or more if you're fast, remember you're aiming for 1hr), or go to the beach and do some soft-sand jogging, great for aerobic fitness.
Jacob’s Ladder/Kokoda/Green Mile (Perth) – stair/hill climbing is good for your aerobic fitness and also builds your leg drive. If you don’t know where these places are, ask me! Sunday
Off (or go for a light row in a single scull)
Jeremy Stevenson - Information on Training Intensity and Heart Rate Zones (with a small section on Training Nutrition as well)
The following document was written by Jeremy Stevenson (an Australian Olympic rower) to provide information about training intensity and heart rate zones to PLC schoolgirls training for the Head of the River competition. Most of the material can be applied to all rowing in general, not just schoolgirl training. Thanks to Jeremy Stevenson and Tim Philpot for making it possible to post this here.
Fitness
If you are aiming to row beyond a purely social level and start competing in races, then structured fitness training is vital. Achieving results with fitness training is about pushing your physical limits without going TOO hard to the point where you end up burning your body out. Creating/finding a structured program is a good way to motivate yourself, as well as ensuring that you push past the mental barriers of being sore from previous sessions. Achieving serious fitness will often require you to get up and go to training when it is the last thing in the world that you want to do, because you are already sore from the last few days of workout! however, coaches aim to create programs that will push your limits and get results without over-training you, using methods such as cross-training.
Rowing requires a unique type of fitness - it is often described as needing the power output of a sprinter, but the aerobic fitness of an endurance athlete. This is because rowing races are generally held over 1 or 2km, which translates to races of approximately 4-8mins of high intensity output. This requires rowers to increase both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, which are targeted by different training workouts. Aerobic fitness is targeted by long, steady workouts, such as:
Anaerobic fitness is characterised by short bursts of high intensity workout interspersed by breaks, for example:
Arthur Lydiard is a world-renowned running coach and gave a very famous lecture about training for aerobic fitness, much of which can be applied to rowing training. Check out the whole lecture here - it is very informative.
Workouts/Programs
Please contribute any programs of your own in this section, or links to fitness programs hosted elsewhere.
Geoff's Novice Training Schedule
The following is a potential weekly schedule for a novice rower after they have commenced rowing and gained some base fitness. (This is a weekly training schedule and does not contain details for the actual workouts in each session)
(Program created by Geoff Abbott for the 2009 UWABC Novice Women Squad)
Monday
AM – Water session - 2hrs
PM – Optional ergo session
Tuesday
AM – Off
PM – Water session, small boats - 2hrs
Wednesday
AM – Off
PM – Main ergo session
Thursday
AM – Water session - 2hrs
PM – Running session - 1hr
Friday
Off
Saturday
Own aerobic session. Brush off your hangovers and get moving. Aim for 1 hour of steady exercise or longer. Talk to your fellow squad members, you can team up with them to make it more interesting. Suggestions include:
Swimming – good for loosening up sore muscles from rowing, especially your back/shoulders/legs. (Freestyle/ breast-stroke, decent distances, not just a paddle in your backyard pool…)
Bike riding – do a lap of the river, ride to the beach and back, or ride your bike somewhere instead of taking your car. Or even go mountain biking in the hills!
Ergos – you can never do too many!
Running – Try for about 5-8km (or more if you're fast, remember you're aiming for 1hr), or go to the beach and do some soft-sand jogging, great for aerobic fitness.
Jacob’s Ladder/Kokoda/Green Mile (Perth) – stair/hill climbing is good for your aerobic fitness and also builds your leg drive. If you don’t know where these places are, ask me!
Sunday
Off (or go for a light row in a single scull)
Jeremy Stevenson - Information on Training Intensity and Heart Rate Zones (with a small section on Training Nutrition as well)
The following document was written by Jeremy Stevenson (an Australian Olympic rower) to provide information about training intensity and heart rate zones to PLC schoolgirls training for the Head of the River competition. Most of the material can be applied to all rowing in general, not just schoolgirl training. Thanks to Jeremy Stevenson and Tim Philpot for making it possible to post this here.